Moma Mania BABY!!

NOW THAT WAS FUN!! We had a competition during our service with our moms! THEY ARE A COMPETITIVE BUNCH!!!! All moms could enter the game and had to run down to the front and toast some English Muffins...The first two that had their muffins pop up advanced to round 2...matching a basket of socks...BUT we blew a fuse with the toasters!! Isn't that perfect!?!?! Really! Moms are always adjusting their plans...SO ladies were RUNNING down the halls of Movies 14 looking for places to plug in the toasters...It was GREAT! They ended the time with 2 moms boxing on a Wii! MY WIFE WON BABY!!!! OH YEAH!!!! What a blast watching moms have fun...it was cool!
Lots of stories from yesterday...LOTS! GREAT MORNING!!

Moma Mania in the morning

WOOHOO! I can't wait for the morning...we have some fun and exciting things planned for moms...games...prizes...great fun. The message is going to be "Mommy...I NEED You!" 6 things that kids need from their moms...cool videos to show...AMAZING scripture...it is going to be AWESOME! My prayer is that moms get some rocket fuel to boost them up...

Mama Prayed

OH MY WORD...just listened to a song called "Mama Prayed" by Jeremiah Olson...our worship guy at our Goshen campus. I am in tears! THAT IS MY MOM! She has prayed so faithfully for 38 years for her kids...I doubt that a day has gone by when she didn't. I am so thankful for her prayers...for her spiritual guidance in my life. LOVE YOU MOM!

Here is a link to the song:
http://40milesnorth.com
(Once you are on the site click on Music, then click on "Mama Prayed" You'll be glad you did!)

Bible Reading

My Bible reading has been ROCKING MY WORLD these past couple of days...2 Corinthians 6: 15...I no longer live for me but for Jesus who died for me...Is that hard for anyone else to live out?!?!?! Is that hard for anyone else to do day after day?!?! On a blah day, when it's raining, your back hurts and your sleep is less 'cause your son has a fever...you just don't "feel" it that day...Let me challenge all of us this way...How did Jesus respond in those times? Heb. 12 says that he put his focus on the future...on the FACT that he would be sitting next to the Father one day...so there it is...no matter what is weighing on you...no matter how you FEEL...get your mind to the future when you will see Jesus...I KNOW, I KNOW you don't feel like doing that either...BUT DO IT ANYWAY. Tomorrow, you'll be glad you pushed through today!

Time to focus...

Our staff meeting today was spent walking through the woods, praying and enjoying nature. We walked quietly for a long time...just listening...just allowing ourselves time to just STOP...it was good! We ended at a dam...read the Bible...went out to the sand bar...(My jeans were still wet 3 hours later!) It was great...good to remember that being a pastor is not about a to-do list...not about what I want...not about what the other guys want...but about what God wants to do in Goshen and South Bend/Mishawaka...Good morning!

Soccer Camp '08

YEAH BABY! I am neck deep in soccer camp info...we are doing a camp again this summer. (June 9-13) We do it free for the communmity and last year we had 400 kids and over 100 decisions for Christ! MAN, God really moved!!

I have such an amazing team to work with...people really step up and volunteer to help with this. Here we are...a church of 80-90 people putting on a camp for 400! I LOVE IT! Being involved in something God-sized...lots of details to be worked through, BUT the eternal touches that we get to make...AMAZING! I anticipate God doing something mindblowing again this year...GO GOD!

Sunday Thoughts...Pray

Ever had a "friend" that just talks and talks and never actually listens to you. They only seem to care about what is happening in their life and not about you. Yesterday we talked about prayer during our service...we talked (actually we did more than talk, we prayed too!) about not just praying requests but listening to God...hearing him speak to you. We need to slow ourselves down enough to not just bring requests to him, but to listen to him. He wants a relastionship with us...relationships are give and take...so stop today and listen!

Taste of France

Tonight we had a "Taste of France." Our missionaries, Dave and Sue Griffith and their daughter Jessica took us through a night in French culture. Food, manners, conversation...it just gave us a taste of the culture that they serve in to reach people for Jesus. It was a fun night hearing their passion for the French people and enjoying the food and conversation.

Jessica shared about a coffee shop that it being started in France. OH MY WORD!!!! I am sooooooooo excited for her. I could just feel her passion and calling to be the manager at the coffee shop...I wish I had $40,000 to fully fund her myself! I pray HARD that she gets all of her support and reaches MANY French people for Jesus...I have no doubt that she will!!

GREAT NIGHT!

Just go...

Last night...We were at the office last night and I turned my head for 15 seconds...then all of a sudden I see Jaden SPRINTING down the hall of the office...I follow him thinking..."JADEN YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T GO DOWN THAT HALL BY YOURSELF!!" I turn the corner...ready to give him "the talk." That's when I see Luke our youngest about to go out the door and into the office building alone...Jaden had seen him going down the hall and just sprinted after him to protect his brother! HE WAS LIVING OUT MY LIFE VERSE FOR HIM!! 1Corinthians 13 in daddy translation..."Jaden is patient, Jaden is kind...he doesn't envy or boast...Jaden is not rude or self-seeking...Jaden ALWAYS protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Hey men...my boy challenged me last night through his example to be a protector. To always be alert and see people who are hurting or heading the wrong way and to go SPRINTING after them. Jaden knew that he didn't have time to tell daddy what was happening, he just needed to go and go now! Luke could have ended up anywhere in our office building...Guys, let's have open eyes to people that need us and let's not hesitate to help...just go...

He caught one!

OK...Jaden's first game is done and he caught a ball! I was so excited!! One of his teammates threw it to him and he caught it! (OK, the throw was from a few feet away, BUT HE CAUGHT IT!) I was excited...It is so fun to watch my kids grow up!!

I wish that this post could have said "he made it!" But Lebron James didn't make it and the Cavs lost game 5 last night!!! STINK!

I am thinking about prayer this week and how awesome it is that the all powerful...invincible... amazing...awesome...faithful...victorious... Savior of the world God has time to listen to me! YES!

(Welcome to how my mind works...three very different thoughts all in a few short minutes!)